Sep 4, 2006

Extracted from MalaysiaKiniFormer premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today claimed that the Umno supreme council is trying to prevent him from being elected a delegate to the party’s annual general assembly in November.

The former Umno president alleged that there are instructions to delegates not to ‘choose’ him at this Saturday’s Kubang Pasu Umno division meeting.

“I believe that the supreme council decides that (Kubang Pasu head Mohd Johari Baharum) is the man to stop me from being a delegate,” he told a press conference in Putrajaya.

A visibly upset Mahathir claimed that the party leadership had also attempted to stop branches in the division from nominating him to contest to be a delegate.

The former premier, who helmed the nation and party for 22 years, said the current leadership has “gone all out to stop me”.

Mahathir also stressed that he would not stop from speaking out should he lose the contest on Saturday when 508 delegates will vote for seven candidates to represent the Kubang Pasu division at the Umno annual assembly to be held in Kuala Lumpur.

Over the past few months, he has been on the warpath against his handpicked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Mahathir had been head of the Kubang Pasu division for more than two decades.

He has received 16 nominations from the division - making him one of the 17 candidates - to contest for one of the seven seats at the party general assembly this November.